A TEAM APPROACH TO ACCREDITATION

A TEAM APPROACH TO ACCREDITATION

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Senior Police Officer Tamara Welter, Accreditation Manager, and Sergeant Bill Wolf

Elgin (IL) Police Department

The Elgin (IL) Police Department was one of five pilot sites selected in 1980 to test national law enforcement standards. The department had reviewed its policies and procedures on several occasions and started the process of self-assessment, but never made it to the point of having an on-site assessment. Given the department’s past history, something would have to change in order for the department to successfully achieve accreditation.

In January 2001, Elgin signed a new agreement with CALEA to officially begin the accreditation process. This time, a concentrated effort to meet and maintain compliance with the standards was begun, and to insure a broad understanding and support throughout the department, a team approach was implemented. This team, with its enthusiasm, dedication, and hard work is, in part, responsible for the professional recognition of excellence the Elgin Police Department obtained as an internationally accredited law enforcement agency on July 12, 2003. The entire accreditation process, from signing the agreement, to the on-site took approximately 22 months.

MAKING A TEAM, A REALITY

Ensuring that an agency’s operations and performance are consistently guided by its written policies, procedures, and training may seem an overwhelming task for one individual to address alone. With that in mind, the Elgin Police Department’s team approach to self-assessment was designed to include civilian and sworn members from across the agency in the assessment process. In order to obtain a cross section of employees, an invitation to participate in the accreditation process was disseminated department wide. A special invitation was given to the President of the Police Officer’s bargaining unit, who accepted and became a member of the team. Consideration was given to make the team large enough to represent the department’s operations, but not so large as to be administratively unmanageable. This team approach for self- assessment was not only successful during the self-assessment process; it enhanced the awareness of accreditation and its purpose throughout the department.

Once the selection of 11 volunteer team members was made, a training meeting was held to present an overview of the accreditation process, and to demonstrate the compiling of compliance proofs and file maintenance. A demo proof file with bullets was developed to offer team members an easy referral tool. Each member was assigned to assemble a set of proofs that fit their expertise. To keep on task, monthly CALEA Days were established, which excused team members from their normal assignments for that day, to concentrate on accreditation assignments.

POLICY DEVELOPMENT

One of the first steps in the self-assessment process was to review current policies and procedures and compare them with CALEA Standards. Policies pertaining to specialized units and operational areas of the department were primarily assigned to the team members that worked in those areas, while the remaining policies were assigned to the accreditation manager. Everyone writing policies utilized the following review process:

· Compare the policy to CALEA standards and determine if changes are needed.

· Compare the policy to similar International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) model policies and, if applicable and relevant, re-write the policy in line with IACP standards.

· Compare the policy to at least two other departments who have success in the area covered by the policy.

· If changes are needed, work with affected members to update the policy in line with CALEA standards and department procedures.

· Access the policy shell on the departments shared computer network and format the new policy accordingly.

· Submit the policy to key members of the department affected by the policy for review.

· Submit the policy to the Accreditation Team and department staff for final review.

· Submit the policy to the Chief of Police for final approval.

Once a policy had been approved, it was sent to all employees and stored electronically for access. An acknowledgment was obtained by each unit supervisor showing each employee has read and been trained on the new policy.

FILE MAINTENANCE

As files were completed, they were returned to an accreditation review file drawer. One member of the team was assigned to the task of reviewing completed files to confirm proofs were indeed complete, and that the files were maintained properly. Any corrective issues with files were returned to the originally assigned team member for revisions. Dedicating one officer to the review process promoted consistency throughout the files.

TRACKING THE FILES

With the high volume of files coming in and out, it was necessary to utilize a tracking system. The CALEA ASAP software proved to be of great benefit. As with the file review, one team member was assigned the task of entering approved files. This also promoted consistency throughout the reporting process.

MOCK ON-SITE

Once the files were complete, a request through the Illinois Police Accreditation Coalition (I-PAC) was made for a mock on-site. The mock assessment, conducted by experienced area CALEA Assessors and/or accreditation managers, proved to be a key component to later having a successful CALEA on-site. Having outsiders review our files was a real eye opener. No matter how perfect we thought our files were, the mock assessors brought missing points to our attention. After this mock on-site, files needing revisions were returned to the original assigned member with a Requested Revisions Form. Once the necessary revisions were made and returned to the team reviewer for approval, three appointed team members took turns reviewing each and every file for completeness and last minute file maintenance issues.

PANEL REVIEW PREPARATION

The panel review was designed to have one to four participants, depending on the standard. The participants ranged from sworn to civilian. Since this was a first for our department, we arranged to have a mock panel assessment. This mock panel assessment was conducted along with the mock on-site. This was greatly appreciated by the participants and eased their anxiety for the big day.

ON-SITE

The team was heavily involved in planning and coordinating the on-site assessment. Tasks were divided among various members and coordinated by the accreditation manager. Some examples of the tasks assigned include:

· Transportation and logistics for assessors.

· Static display.

· Coordination of panel review.

· Coordination of public information and feedback activities.

· Food, beverage, and hospitality.

Again, the team approach to the on-site allowed many of the team members from various divisions to get involved, which enhanced communications and universal knowledge of the process. The “buy-in” and involvement by the entire department during the on-site was incredible, considering initial resistance when the accreditation process was started. During the tour of the facility on the first day of the on-site, a representative from every unit of the department was on hand to showcase their area and answer questions from the assessors.

The team’s hard work and dedication throughout the self-assessment process reflected the entire Elgin Police Department’s involvement and commitment to becoming accredited. Their efforts were rewarded by a successful on-site and ultimately receiving accreditation. In Elgin, partnering to achieve goals is part of our mission.

Editorial note: The Elgin Police Department will present a workshop on “The Team Approach To Accreditation” at the March 2004 CALEA Conference in Pasadena, California.